Send Letters to editor@ncc-1776.orgNote: All letters to this address will be considered for
publication unless they say explicitly Not For Publication

[Letters to the editor are welcome on any and all subjects. Sign your
letter in the text body with your name and e-mail address as you wish
them to appear, otherwise we will use the information in the "From:"
header!]

While I agree for the most part with Mr. Vandervelde's excellent
article and his conclusions I must disagree with his understanding
of economic determinism. Economic determinism, like any other
determinism, should be viewed as an environmental factor. As an
example, let us consider the example of a person who is unable to
synthesize vital amino and fatty acids from vegetable food. Such a
person is a genetically obligatory carnivore. Our subject faces
deterministic pressure to eat meat or die. Of course, nowadays we can
use technology to provide him or her with synthetically produced
enzyme supplements that would allow them to get the nutrition they
need from a vegetarian diet, or we could process vegetables to
manufacture food that has these nutrients. A person morally committed
to a vegan lifestyle has a choice between eating meat, dying, or
identifying the determinism of their genes and by using technology
overcome this.* Identifying deterministic factors allows us to figure
out a way to beat them and thus achieve liberty.

Similarly, identifying economically deterministic pressures (or if you
will, "economically deterministic factors") allows us to apply our
will to create alternative solutions to the problem that created
these pressures.

Some people will claim that because of economic (or other) determinism
we must simply go along with the flow of events. Others say we should
deny there is such a thing as determinism and that the concept is an
excuse for engaging in behavior that is at best amoral and at worse
mortally sinful by both Heinlein's and the Catholic Church's
definition (this is in fact frequently the case). Or we can identify
deterministic factors and use our intellects and wills to find
solutions to them that are consistent with the principles of morality
and liberty. By this last standard I am an unabashed and even proud
"economic determinist."

* I am, by the way, a shameless carnivore. The example of obligatory
carnivores comes to mind because I was recently discussing the failure
of certain tyrannies to produce enough meat for their citizens.

After a long while I finally figured out this article was some sort of
defense of IP rights. Personally, I have no problem with the notion—as
long as proponents do not resort to using the state or justifying the
state for their benefit.

Yeah, creators of intellectual property certainly do have a problem in
their chosen line of work: copying stuff is easy these days. But that
is their problem, not my problem; and they have various means
available to stop or control it, at least partially. Just claiming
that the market is no good for doing that, is not an excuse for using
aggression. Nor is history such an excuse.

By all means, make a contract with people who buy your product.
Certainly, go after those who break that contract, using whatever
means the market provides, or pick up a baseball bat, or whatever.
Just don't use the state. Don't turn your problem into my problem.

It only just occurred to me that, since I have 2500+ Friends on
FaceBook and elsewhere, I might ask them a question I can't find an
answer to anywhere else.

A very long time ago, I bought a 4 5/8" barrelled Ruger BlackHawk
.45LC/.45ACP convertible single action revolver with an aluminum grip
frame. Those who follow Rugers will understand what I mean when I say
it's a "three-screw" model. It has been my constant companion (I even
carried it on patrol once or twice when I was a reserve police
officer) and I have taken several big game animals with it.

At some point, I found somebody selling Ruger parts and put the
longer, heavier steel grip frame of a Ruger Super Blackhawk on the
revolver, the one with the square-backed trigger guard. The result is
the most satisfactory sixgun I've ever owned. I've made other
modifications, as well, over the years.

I now have a 7 1/2" Ruger Old Army revolver, originally intended to be
loaded with loose powder, lead balls, and percussion caps. I bought a
cartridge conversion cylinder for it from Brownell's, and it's almost
as fun as the "Superized" BlackHawk I described above. But it's very
heavy in the front end, while it retains the small grip profile of the
original three-screw BlackHawk. It needs a bigger "rudder".

I'd like to find another Super BlackHawk three-screw grip frame for
this piece, preferably stainless steel, but I can always have it
plated. I have other Ruger modification plans in mind, as well. So if
anybody out there knows about an outfit that caters to this kind of
thing, please let me know.

Abortion: I've already said I'm keeping out of this one. I am
morally opposed to abortion, however most political leaders who share
this opposition are such fascistic jerks that the policies they would
implement would lead to more women getting abortions to spare their
children living under said leaders' rule.

Immigration: there are those who come for honest, decent
reasons and those who don't. The entire system needs to be repaired
from stem to stern and top to bottom, and getting rid of quotas is a
good place to start.

Same sex marriage: Marriage has two functions. The first is a
civil contract guaranteeing the spouses involved certain property
rights, inheritance rights, and custody of progeny. The second is a
sacramental relationship recognized by various churches applying to
people who wish to cohabit in a sexual relationship and asking their
diety(ies) to bless their union. Most objections to same sex marriage
stem from people of various faiths who believe that marriage must be
male and female. Let the state recognize the civil contracts of all
people, the churches bless whatever unions they choose, and let the
veil of separation of church and state fall between them.

This site may receive compensation if a product is purchasedthrough one of our partner or affiliate referral links. Youalready know that, of course, but this is part of the FTC DisclosurePolicy found here. (Warning: this is a 2,359,896-byte 53-page PDF file!)TLE AFFILIATE